Reed sentenced on sexual abuse charges

Roger Adkins, Editor

Friday

Jul 20, 2018 at 3:57 PMJul 20, 2018 at 4:01 PM

A Ravenswood man received a decades-long sentence recently for sexually abusing a young family member.

Bryan Reed, 52, formerly of 83 Thaxton St., Ravenswood, was sentenced to 10-20 years on a charge of sexual abuse by a parent or guardian and 5-25 years on a charge of first-degree sexual abuse. If he is ever released, Reed will be under extended supervision for 50 years, the court ruled.

The case stemmed from an investigation that began May 30, 2017.

Shortly before 7 p.m. on May 30, officers from the Ravenswood police department responded to a report of a domestic dispute and possible sexual assault at Reed’s former residence.

Upon arrival, Reed’s wife met the officers outside and said she and her husband had gotten into an argument.

Reed’s wife said a 9-year-old female relative told her about ongoing abuse. Officers then spoke to Reed inside the residence. When asked what was going on, Reed told the officers his wife was trying to accuse him of sexually molesting the girl, allegations he denied at the time.

Around noon on Wednesday, June 7, 2017, a forensic specialist conducted an interview with the victim at Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Charleston.

During the interview the girl said Reed had sexually assaulted her many times over the previous year and a half. The victim said it all started when she was around age 8, sometime around November or December of 2015.

The victim said the first sexual assault occurred one evening when she went into Reed’s bedroom while Reed’s wife was already asleep on the couch, according to court records.

The girl told the interviewer she noticed Reed was watching pornography. The victim also said Reed asked her to stay in the bedroom and watch the pornography with him on his cell phone.

During the interview, the victim stated that she felt very uncomfortable with the situation but was afraid to leave because she was scared Reed would get mad or hurt her. The victim stated that while watching the pornography, sexual contact occurred.

The child told the forensic interviewer that over the ensuing months, the abuse mostly occurred in Reed’s bedroom, but occasionally it would take place in her own bedroom and bathroom.

The child stated that while Reed was jobless, it would happen once or twice a week. When he was working, it happened on the weekends.

It would almost always involve them watching pornography together on Reed’s cell phone.

In one instance, Reed told the child she could never tell anyone because he could go to jail for life.

On Thursday, June 8, 2017, around 7 p.m., police interviewed Reed, who admitted he showed the child pornographic material on his cell phone and confessed to inappropriate touching and sexual contact.

Reed told police he was sorry and he was simply trying to teach the child about sexual acts because she was curious. He told police, he did not want her to learn from somebody else, but he knew that it was wrong.

Also, while Reed was speaking with his mother, in the interview room after the initial interview, he stated, “I only touched her twice, mom.”